Driving-gear for boats, &amp;c.



No. 760,218. PATENTED MAY 17, 1904. J. J. LEFINSKI.

DRIVING GEAR FOR BOATS, &0.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 21, 1903.

N0 MODEL Inwntor UNITED STATES Patented May 17, 1904..

PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHANN JAKOB LEFINSKI, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOFRIEDRICH WILHELM AL", OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

DRIVING-GEAR FOR BOATS, 81.0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,218, dated May 17,1904.

Application filed December 21,1903. Serial No. 186,024- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl', JonANN JAKoB LEFINSKI, residing at VeddelerBriickenstrasse 16, Hamburg, in the Empire of Germany, have invented newand useful Improvements in and Gonnected with Driving-G ear for Boatsand other Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for transmitting power by means ofwhich, commencing with slow but powerful initial motion, a rapid speedof rotation is finally attained. This kind of power is intended forboats and the like, in which by more rapid revolutions of the propellera more effective action is in sured than with slowly-revolvingpropellers. The increased efliciency owing to the propeller rotating ata higher speed more than counterbalances the slightly-increased frictionin the gear. The most important point, however, in connection with thedevice hereinafter described is the possibility ofsecuring a desirablespeed with a slow working power, and

thus avoiding imparting to the muscles a fre- I quently-recurrin gmotion, as would be the case if the revolutions were effected directlyby hand. Combined with this mechanism, which is shown in theaccompanying drawings as ap plied to a device for driving a boat, is thenecessary reversing-gear, which is arranged so that when the vessel isto be backed (andthe momentum of the vessel has to be overcome, andtherefore the work to be done is greater) the reverse revolutions of thepropeller are slower than those in the forward direction. Further,combined with the mechanism is a brake device which is operated when themotion is reversed and brings the revolving propeller to rest before achange from one direction to the other can be effected, so that eachmovement begins from a state of rest without the necessity of stoppingthe crank motion effected by hand.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side view of the device. Fig. 2 shows the position in aboat which is to be driven. Fig. 3 is a view of the propeller, and Fig.4: shows the arrangement of the brake.

space.

The motion of the crank a, which is assumed 5 to make thirty revolutionsper minute,is transmitted to the shaft 6, on which the tooth-wheel 0 ismounted by means of a feather-key. The forward motion is transmittedfrom 0, through the medium of the intermediate wheel (Z, to a set ofwheels 6 e e". The set of wheels 6 e a rotate loosely on the shaft f inthe same i manner as the following sets of wheels 9 g", i It it, dz, 7::71:, ll rotate loosely around the shafts Z) or f and finally transmitthe power to the 0 tooth wheel m, which is mounted fast upon the lowershaft f and actuates the propeller.

O is the thrust-bearing of the propellershaft f.

The different sets of wheels may be geared 5 one with the other in anypreferred ratio. The drawing is based on the assumption that with thecrank making thirty revolutions the propeller will make one thousandrevolutions per minute. With such a speed the propeller- 7 blades needhave but a slight pitch, and in consequence of the rapid revolutions, inconjunction with the slight pitch, the screw has less slip than screwswhich rotate slowly. The power is more effectually utilized, and 75 theslightly-increased friction caused by the different intermediategear-wheels is of no real importance, especially as this arrangementinsures the best possible utilization of the It should be noted that fordriving the vessel only such bodily labor is necessary as can beconveniently performed, as the necessary movement at the crank is a slowone. By having a crank of suitable size the work to 5 be performed canbe reduced to the smallest possible extent.

As it is desirable that a vessel fitted with such driving mechanism maybe easily maneuvered, the intermediate gear should be 9 arranged toallow of the reversing action being easily effected.

In order to insure uniform motion, the main shaft f is furnished with abalance-wheel 2), against the circumference of which the brakeshoes 9',operated by the levers (1, act. This takes place whenever the hand-levers is placed vertically. The rod 8 is therefore pulled so as to operatethe bell-crank lever t,

and the projection 25 of the lever t presses'the toggle 0" into thehorizontal position, as indicated, and the braking action takes place.At the same time the driving mechanism is thrown entirely out ofengagement, as when the lever s is placed vertically the lower .forkedend the levers is moved the bell-crank lever it raises or lowers (as thecase may be) the toggle 1" and in both casesreleases the brake-shoesWhen the small tooth-wheel c is brought into engagement with the largetooth-wheel 0 the motion of the propeller is reversed.

In this way the working of the crank is facilitated, as the ratio of thegear whereby the speed of the propeller is reduced operates in the mostbeneficial manner for the operator. This is, however, necessary, as inthe working of the vessel the reversing action generally occurswhile-the vessel is actually moving forward. The propeller therefore hasto overcome the forward movement, and for this purpose requires morepower, which can be imparted to it by the described method oftransmitting the power to a large tooth-wheel. For effecting the normalforward movement the rotary motion of the wheel 0 is almost entirelytransmitted to the wheel 6. The arrangement illustrated may be altered,so that instead of the Wheels being all placed one be hind the otherthey can be arranged adjoiningone another in a special casing. This isdetermined by the amount of space available.

The driving motion may also be started by means of lever-and-pedalaction. This arrangement may be adopted for all kinds of vehicles inconnection with which a permanent'uniform rate of movement is ofimportance, as when such a number of revolutions is assured and thenecessary uniformity imparted to the Whole mechanism by the presence ofa balance wheel the final speed, which is thus again considerablyreducedas. for example, in the case of three-wheel vehicles, workingengines, or the like-is also exceedingly uniform and otherwise than ifthe driving were effected direct.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In an apparatus of the character set forth, the combination with acrank-shaft, of a gear 0 mounted on said shaft, an idler-gear with whichsaid gear meshes, a third gear 9 meshing with said idler-gear, apropeller-shaft on which said last-named gear is loosely mounted, atrain of gears loosely mounted on said crank-shaft and said secondshaft, a gear fixed on said second shaft meshing with the last member ofsaid train, the proportions being such that the speed of the secondshaft will greatly exceed that of the crank-shaft when the latter isturned.

2. In a driving mechanism of the character set forth, the combinationofa crank-shaft, a second shaft, a slidable gear mounted on saidcrank-shaft, a gear on said second shaft with which said slidable gearis adapted to engage, an idler-gear with which said slidable gear'isalso adapted to engage at times, and a second gear on said second-namedshaft meshing with said idler-gear, to drive said second shaft, abrake-wheel on said second shaft, a brake adapted to engage said Wheel,a shift-lever for said slidable gear, and means connecting said leverand said brake, whereby the brake is set when the gear is shifted andreleased when the gear engages with one of the gears to drive thesecond-named shaft. 7

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OHAN N AKOB LEFINSKI.

Witnesses:

E. H. L. MUMMENHOFF, T. CHRIs'r. HAFERMANN.

